79% of parents ‘using children as chauffeurs’

PETER WOODMAN

PARENTS are turning the tables on their children after years of acting as a taxi service for their offspring.

As many as 79 per cent get lifts from their children once they pass their driving test, a survey by Churchill car insurance found.

But many parents pay for the privilege, shelling out an average of £11.16 per trip.

Shops tops the list of places parents get driven to, followed by friends’ or relatives’ houses, restaurants and parties.

A total of 8 per cent of parents get a lift at least once a month and 6 per cent are ferried around by their children once a week, with 2 per cent even getting taken to work by a son or daughter every day.

For those who regularly get their children to take them places, 20 per cent do so because they want to be able to drink. And 51 per cent of parents save money by getting their children to drive them.

But around half this proportion give their children the money they would have paid on public transport.

Churchill car insurance head Tony Chilcott said: “The wonderful thing about family is that you know you can always rely on them to help you out when you need a favour.”